1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a packing method and a packing apparatus, and specifically to a packing method and a packing apparatus for carrying a substance to be packed from a carrying-in section in which the substance to be packed is carried to the position under a packing section where a film stands-by in the horizontally stretched state; ascending and pushing-up the substance to be packed to the film for covering the upper surface of the substance to be packed with the film; and folding the end portions of the film under the bottom portion of the substance to be packed. In particular, the present invention concerns the improvement of the so-called no-tray type packing method and its packing apparatus for directly packing a substance to be packed by means of a film without any tray in the circumstances that the environmental problem due to excessively increased refuses has been at stake.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, as the packing apparatus used for carrying out the packing method of this type, for example, there has been known such an apparatus as disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. HEI 4-57718. The prior art apparatus is so constructed as follows: Namely, a carrying conveyor is horizontally disposed extending from a carrying-in section for a substance to be packed, which is disposed outside a machine casing, to the position directly under a packing section, which is disposed within the machine casing. The substance to be packed is carried from the external carrying-in section to the position directly under the internal packing section. Then, the substance to be packed carried up to the terminal portion of carrying is supplied on a receiving base (so-called elevator head) disposed directly under the packing section so as to be freely moved up and down, when the receiving base is ascended. The receiving base is continuously ascended, and thereby the substance to be packed is pushed up to a film which stands-by in the horizontally stretched state at the packing section, so that the substance to be packed is packed with the film.
In the prior art apparatus, at the longitudinal positions of the carrying conveyor within the elevating/lowering range where the receiving base is movable up and down, there are provided clamping levers moved along with the ascending movement of the receiving base and guide plates moved by an independent drive means. Thus, when the substance to be packed is supplied from the conveyor to the receiving base, or when the substance to be packed is supplied to be ascended to the packing section, several pieces or a bundle of the substances to be packed are clamped by the above clamping levers and guide plates at front and rear portions for preventing the disorder. This often causes such a disadvantage that the substances to be packed are rubbed and damaged by the clamping levers and the guide plates when the receiving base is ascended to the packing section. In particular, in the packing form of the so-called no-tray system for directly packing the substance to be packed by means of a film without any tray in the circumstances that the environmental problem due to excessively increased refuses has been at stake, the substance to be packed is directly contacted with the clamping levers and the guide plates and is rubbed therewith, and accordingly the above disadvantage such as damage tends to be further easily generated. On the other hand, in the packing form of a tray system for packing the substance to be packed which is placed on a tray with a film together with the tray, the substance to be packed is not directly contacted with the clamping levers and the guide plates, the above disadvantage is lightened; however, for the packing form of the no-tray system, the packing is difficult.